Gun with barrel-recoil of uniform length.



- W. HEILEMA'NN. GUN WITH BARREL REGOIL 0F UNIFORM LENGTH.

APPLIOATION FILED APR.4, 1911.

Patented Dec. 5, 1911.

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Ten srn'rns rarnn'r orricn.

WALTER HEILEll/LANN, OF ESSEN-ON-THE-BUHR, GERMANY. ASSIGNOR TO FRIED.

KRUPP AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT, OF ESSEN-ON-THE-RUHR, GERMANY.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 5, 1911.

Application filed April 4, 1911. Serial No. 618,786.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, WALTER HEILEMANN, a subject of the Emperor of Germany, and a resident of Essen-on-the-Ruhr, Germany, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Giuis With Barrel-Recoil of Uniform Length, of which the following is a specification.

In recoil 'g'uns such as curved fire guns, which may be fired at great elevations and which shall have in the first place a normal firing height and in the next place great stability when fired at reduced elevation, it is well known to construct the recoil brake in such a manner that the gun barrel has a long recoil with small elevations and a short recoil with great elevations. Such a construction (variable recoil) is comprised in a complicated and delicate construction. To avoid the drawbacks attending variable recoil, the horizontal trunnions have-been displaced into the immediate vicinity of the breech end of the gun barrel when the latter is in the firing position to the end that the gun barrel may have a long recoil not alone with low elevations but with high elevations as well, without the firing height exceeding the normal amount. But as the backward displacement of the horizontal trunnions produces a considerable over-balancing to the front end of the revoluble system. this typeof gun with a uniformly long recoil has been provided with a compensating device (a spring or the like) constructed in the form of a power storing device. The sensitiveness of this type of compensating device is not to be denied. Efforts have heretofore been made to eliminate accumulating compensating devices in guns with uniformly long recoil, and this has been sought to be accomplished among other ways, in guns provided with trun nions in the immediate vicinity of the breech end of the barrel, by prolonging the slide track carrier beyond the breech end of the gun barrel to an extent corresponding to the length of recoil, and arranging a counterbalance on the rear end of the slide track carrier. But a counterbalance such as this (on the slide track carrier) constitutes a dead load in addition to which guns of this construction have a cumbersomeappearance.

The purpose of this invention is to provide a recoil gun to be fired at great elevations in which the objections referred to in recoil guns of known design, are avoided, notwithstanding that the normal firing height is not exceeded and a sutlicient stability is preserved when firing.

A curved fire recoil gun is shown in the drawing as a constructional example of this invention. s

Figure 1 is a side view of the parts under consideration of such a gun; and Fig. 2 is a plan view of Fig. 1.

The gun constituting the subject matter of the invention has a barrel recoil of uniform length. The gun barrel A is guided in the usual manner on the slide track car rier B which is journaled by means of the horizontal trunnions b in the gun carriage C, and can be rotated about the axis of the horizontal trunnions by means ofan elevating mechanism not shown in the drawin The slide track carrier contains a brake whose cylinder is designated by E and a rccuperator F. The brake cylinder is :connected to the gun barrel by means of a horn a This horn and the end of the brake cylinder attached thereto are disposed at a considerable distance forward of the rear surface of the breech of the gun barrel.

The horizontal trunnions b are backwardly displaced. By this term is intended to be designated such an arrangement of the trunnions that they lie behind the center of gravity of an ideal system formed by the gun barrel, the brake together with the recuperator and the slide track carrier, a system distinguished from the corresponding system shown in the drawing in this respect, that in the first mentioned system the slide .track carrier terminates in the vicinity of the front face of the breech end of the gun barrel, when the latter is in firing position and that the breech end possesses normal dimensions. The backward displacement of the trunnions is not so great as to seat them in the immediate vicinity of the breech end of the gun barrel but, in the well known manner, only so far back will permit the part of the gun barrel lying behind them to counterbalance a considerable portion of the weight of the parts lying in front of it, of the system oscillating about the horizontal trunnions. The system revoluble upon the trunnions 6 would nevertheless possess a considerable overbalance forward, in case the slide track carrier should terminate in length of the, recoil.-. The e'nlargement ofthe breech :(soinewha't exaggerated in the. (drawing)- is well known,- as well as theex-v ;tension of the slide tracklcarrier to the ex the vicinity of the. front faee of the breech" end when the barrel is in firing position, and the breech end have the normal-dimensions.

N ow this forward weight is compensated in part by the breech end of the barrel enlarged beyond the normal' di mensio'ns (at ai Fig. 1) and in part completely orvapproxi mately compensated by the fact that the slidetrack carrier B is extended beyondthe breech endof-the gun when the latter isin.

the firing position to'an extent less than'the tent described. H i a In consequence of thed'esc'rib'ed position of the horizontal trunnions, the enlargement, .of the breech end-of the'gun barrel; and the extension; of the slide track carrier beyond v the breech end,',as is plain. without further description, a uniformly long-recoil can be.

- employed with all elevations [-(compare the positions'I and II of the gun barrel, etc.,

2'5 shownin dotted anddash lines in -Eig. 1);

without the firing heightexceeding the nor- 1113.1 ameunt. But bymea'ns of the long recoila suficie'nt stabilityis iattained'in firing atall elevations. Besides this thegun described in addition to having a simple strucf ture is of pleasing appearance,

' A 10.5 centimeter howit'zerconstrncted inaccordance with this invention, would'haye,

' with a firing height h of about 1 m., a length -customary recoil of a howitzer with variable barrel recoil, and than the usual recoil of a of recoil 7' likewise about 1 In. This length ofrecoil is somewhat less than'that longest hoWitZer,;whose trunnions. lie immediately thebreechend of the gunbarrel, and havmg a similar firing height, etc. Neverthe:

less a howitzer of thepresent type possesses i about the same; stability when 'firing asthe 4 type of howitzer just referred to since, in

consequence of the enlargement of the breech end of the gunbarrel, the mass o'f the re coiling sys'tem'is increased; and the center of gravityof the recoiling s-yst'em isbrought nearer to.' the.axis' of the bore of the 'gun" barrel, circumstances which der E)v terminates in the usual manner con I I as well known favor-the, stabilityof a gun.

breech of the: gun barrel a greater elevation,;

under otherw se equal conditions, can be given to-the gun. barrel with the usual-ar 'r'angem'enttoi the brake, cylinder in which this-latter terminates under vthe n ar] face of'the breech and of the-gun barrel, or even' extends to. the rear of said surface. The

drawing. (compare position II of the gun barrel and brake cylinder) clearly shows the advantage ofthe above arrangement ofthe brake cylinder.

I-claim:.

1. In a recoil'gun, a barrel. having recoil:

of Uniformlength, a. recoil brake the part of which connected with said gun barrel terminating forwardly of the rearilface r the 1- breech end of the "gunfbarrel, horizontal 5 trunnionsjlocated in rear of the center ofgravity of the members supported thereby-f but having. in rear of them an enlarged 'p0 r' tion of the gun barrel -compensating a considerable portion ofthe forward weight supported'by said trun nions,and a slide track carrier projecting beyond'the rear endof the gun breech, assistingin compensating the weightjof the"-systerr 1.;swinging about thejhorizontal-trunnions.

2. In a barrel "recoil gun with recoilof uniform length, a slide track carrier upon which the gun barrel is n1'ounted,' ajbrake.

having apart connected'with the barrel, said part terminating in advance of the rear endof thebreech ofthe, gunflbarrel,

9O vcarrier displaced toward the breech end of I horizontal trnnnions on'-. sai d slide track the gun barrel b it leaving a substantial .portion ofithe gunbarrel in rear of said t-rnnnions, said, breech end of the gun barrel being enlarged beyond normal dimen' gsions;, said slide -;track carrier being ex.-1 tended beyond the breech end of the gun barrel when the latter is in the firing 'po'si-i tion; said portion pfithe giinlbarrelin rea r v i largementftogether. with the extension of 3 of the horizontal humans, with its en-' the' slide-trackcarrier, compensating the system'swingi ng about the horizon'tal trun- -nions. I

fThe. ror'egbiii petifitaitn signed at Barmen, Germany, this 16th day .of March;

-' QW L ER" :HEILEMANN. ([1,; a]

Inpresence of? a v CHAS. J. iWRIGHT," ALFRED HENIUJL. 

